


Until the Bitter End

by SoporificSweetheart



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Dreamsharing, M/M, Puzzleshipping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-12
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-05-06 06:29:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5406527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoporificSweetheart/pseuds/SoporificSweetheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yuugi Muto, an ordinary boy with questionable taste in clothing is faced with an unexpected encounter- a second face of sorts. Whether this new fixture is a personality disorder or something more sinister, one thing is for certain; the road ahead has never looked more daunting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It isn't canon but I'm planning to keep it close to some of its settings/themes.

Summer was winding its way down, edging its way into autumn and the awkward overlap of the two seasons. The mix of light showers and crackling thunderstorms of July had rolled into a stiller heat of August, but humidity still pervaded the air, sticky and too hot for comfort. Many youths were still out making the most of their vacations, splashing in public pools or hanging out in the air conditioned house of a friend. Yuugi Muto, however, had another matter he concerned himself with during the last month of his summer. Instead of socializing with peers like most of his age group did, he found himself holed up in his room, assembling a mystic sort of item known as the millennium puzzle.

Strange as it seemed, Yuugi had his reasons behind doing so. He’d had plenty of opportunities to spend time elsewhere, and a multitude of invitations from his friends Joey and Tristan to hang out at either of their houses or possibly pick on a certain Seto Kaiba from their homeroom. He’d refused a majority of them, and not just because of his aversion to conflicts, either. It was something more personal. A goal he’d set for himself. He needed to complete the millennium puzzle.

Now Yuugi had never claimed to be a puzzle fanatic, and he still wouldn’t, either. He did find some pleasure throughout the past in completing a puzzle every so often and could recall some fond memories of finishing a few with his grandfather. After all, it was easy to enjoy watching something come together. A laid back challenge was good for the mind.

The reason for the intensity of his efforts of completing the millennium puzzle came from the meaning it held to Yuugi. On the fourth of June, just a week before the end of the academic year, it had been passed down to him from his grandfather on his sixteenth birthday. In the early morning, when the first rays of sun touched the horizon, his grandfather had pressed a box into Yuugi’s hands.

The package wasn’t large, but it had a considerable weight to it. He brought the package up to his ear, and gave it a bit of a shift, immediately able to sense movement in the box. Yuugi set it down onto his lap and pulled off the iridescent wrapping, and finally removed the lid. His eyes narrowed, and he dipped his hand into the box, pulling out small pieces of metal and inspecting them. Upon first glance, he could tell the pieces weren’t uniform, but they reminded him of tiles to a board game his grandfather had taught to him.

“Are these like tiles to a board game, grandpa?” He asked, eyeing the curious figures, to which his grandfather gave a hearty chuckle.

“No, Yuugi. These are something much better than that,” he assured him, taking a seat at the foot of Yuugi’s bed. “They’re puzzle pieces. But even more than that, it’s a very special three-dimensional puzzle called the millennium puzzle… Rumor has it; it used to belong to an Egyptian noble. I forget exactly what their title was, maybe a Shaman?”

Mr. Muto gave a shrug, quickly dismissing the lore behind it, “but that’s not important. While I was working on excavation sites in ancient Egypt, a merchant gave this to me. What he told me was that this puzzle was extremely difficult to solve, considering the three-dimensional aspect of it, and the number of pieces. However, he also told me that if one were to complete it, they’d learn a great deal of patience, ingenuity, and perhaps even gain a new perspective.” His grandfather smiled down to him, “I thought those would all be great things for you to learn at your age, Yuugi. I hope you like it.”

“Yes, I do,” Yuugi agreed, his smile bright despite the sleep still in his eyes. “These are really incredible. Thank you, grandpa!” He beamed.

Ever since that fateful day, Yuugi had become inseparable from his millennium puzzle. The name may have been riddled with value and historical relevance, but to Yuugi, such things meant little to him. It was in the challenge, the difficulty meant to be overcome, the secrets he was so incredibly inclined to divulge from the ancient relic, and the new perspective his grandfather hinted at before that made his heart race.

However, he wasn’t so eager to assemble the puzzle on the first early encounter. In June, he had much more interest in cleaning dust from its surface with a rag and learning exactly what sorts of things he could use to clean something as valuable as a gift from his grandfather without deteriorating the material. He’d count the golden shards, and in his mind, he would rearrange the oddly shaped fragments into different amalgamates of what it could look like when he’d brought it to completion. As dedicated as he was with his puzzle, he still refused to touch his bare hands to the pieces, worried the oils from his fingers would damage his most precious gift, and so, he wore white, cotton gloves to negate such dangers.

As time flowed and brought Yuugi’s region into the rainy season, he had even more reason to stay inside as thunderstorm warnings had befallen the outside. With more time to himself in his room came more time to work on his puzzle. By then, Yuugi had begun putting his best efforts forth to assembling the puzzle. Even as he became more familiar with the puzzle, he refused to remove his gloves when he handled it, which looked more than a little uncouth in the scorching summer heat. He came to making gradual progressions, assembling the base of the puzzle, and realizing it would form a pyramid when he reached its completion.

As much as he enjoyed the puzzle for its challenges and intricacies, what he appreciated the most that it had offered to him was a safe place when night terrors threatened his already troubled psyche. It was what he busied his mind with when nothing seemed to be going right.

By and by, the days passed and August came to greet Yuugi on the calendar. Every day he grew more and more feverish to complete the puzzle, and every day there were fewer pieces to place than there was the day before. However, as his desire to finish the puzzle increased, the frequencies of the hellish nightmares skyrocketed until restless nights were more commonplace than well-rested awakenings.

With the puzzle by Yuugi's bedside, it comforted him as well as an old friend. Something about it had a certain vitality to it, making it seem almost alive. It consoled him like no other and made him feel at peace within his head. He could hardly imagine facing the summer without it anymore. Recalling the number of faces to the pyramid, the number of vertexes, and how many pieces he’d assembled as well as still had to place to finish it distracted him from bad dreams, and he was so grateful for it.

As August came to meet Yuugi, his pace of completing the puzzle slowed down to a crawl. It troubled him, the idea of not having the puzzle to rely on anymore. The challenge and feeling of accomplishment that came with fitting two pieces together was something Yuugi had come to rely on to get through the night. The feelings that bloomed inside him because of its presence nurtured a haven, and he wasn’t sure how to achieve it anymore without it. However, he pressed on, even if it was only one piece a night, now.

Rain pelted at the siding of his house and filled Yuugi’s sauna of a bedroom with the sound. Yuugi welcomed what must’ve been one of the last rain showers of the season, and decided the yellowing grass of his grandfather’s lawn would be welcoming it as well. He was down to eight pieces, and tonight he was determined to complete the top of his pyramidal puzzle.

His nimble fingers pushed pieces into play gently, never forceful, allowing them to fall into place of their own volition, or refuse his gentle coercion and be tried in another placement until only one final shard awaited to be delivered upon the top as the puzzle’s rightful crown. Yuugi took a deep breath, reconsidering. The winds outside picked up, whipping water droplets at his window like bullets, only to fall in rivulets down the glass panes. He glanced over to watch the outside world blur through the curtain of rain and wondered how he’d ever manage to cope in the face of his fears in the same way he had while he had the comforts of the puzzle. Perhaps the new perspective would help with that… and he always had friends that were still up at the early hours of the morning, before dawn broke over the horizon he could talk to over the phone to calm down.

He grabbed the last piece of the puzzle in his ungloved hand and glided the flat of his thumb over the surface. As Yuugi looked own at it, he gave it a warm smile. There was no point in fretting over leaving a fingerprint on it anymore. It had become so familiar with him over time, accidentally bumping it off the table, spilling water onto it, and other mishandles. He was sure he could wipe any trace of his handling of it off with a clean rag, and no one would’ve been the wiser that it wasn’t brand new, if not for the structure of it.

He was ready to complete it. It would be unfair to his grandfather if he just stopped there…He’d already learned a substantial deal of patience from it as the man in Egypt had told his grandfather, and he felt like he might’ve already found a new perspective, as well as an appreciation for the world around him. With an unparalleled resolve to anything else he’d felt this summer, Yuugi pressed the tip of the pyramid into its due place, and completed his puzzle.


	2. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atem makes an appearance. Happy New Year. Wow Yuugi, that's pretty gay.

Thunder roared and lightning pierced the black skies that lurked just outside the window. Agony seared Yuugi’s forehead, engulfing his head in pain before rippling through his body in waves. His eyes clamped shut. He grasped his head in confusion as well as a feeble attempt to soothe the pains. His fingers dove into unyielding locks, grasping onto his hair, his teeth ground together to keep himself from screaming and startling his grandfather, but eventually, he gasped for air, breathless as the sheer force of the pain seemed to have stolen the air from his lungs.

Just as he was about to call for help, from god or grandfather, the hellish sensations that wracked his body only moments before had vanished without an inkling of a trace. For a moment, he did nothing but stare at the inside of his eyelids. When he opened them again, he found himself looking dead into the eye of the puzzle, and never had its golden surface seemed so menacing to him before. He’d joked about its pyramidal form carrying malediction to his grandfather early on in June with lightheartedness, but he’d never seriously considered the possibility of such a thing before now. He had to pry his dark eyes away from it.

It was a ridiculous thing to contemplate. Curses came only on the pages and print of fables and fairytales. Yuugi was not about to fall prey to a child’s worries. However, when his lungs constricted, burned as if they'd drawn in smoke, and his head seared by fiery damnation it seemed much less childish. Maybe he hadn’t been taking care of himself lately… after all the time he’d poured into the puzzle, he’d simply been negligent in his self-care routine.

Somehow, through false hope and wishful thought, Yuugi had managed to convince himself that the pains were nothing but a headache. Merely a symptom of a plummet in his sugar. He just needed to eat something. As he pulled himself out of bed, along with his sensibilities, he headed downstairs to eat. Now that he’d thought about it, he hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

Yuugi had to admit, his habits hadn’t been very healthy as of late, and he needed to face up to those irresponsibilities. He’d have to treat himself better, especially when school started back up in September as summer gave its last bow and made its exit. Not only did he not want to, but realistically he couldn’t deal with health issues as well as academic challenges- at least, not in a very conducive manner.

So he took a trip downstairs, seeing his grandfather sitting in his recliner, focus directed to the texts of another journal over an archaeological dig, as Yuugi had often found him reading before. However, hearing Yuugi’s soft footsteps against the hardwood attracted his grandfather’s attention, and he removed his reading lenses.

“Yuugi- I was starting to worry whether or not I’d be seeing you today,” he teased but allowed his grandson to access the kitchen without too much more prodding.

“You know Grandpa, I finished the millennium puzzle today,” Yuugi said proudly, grinning at his achievement with his earlier distress tucked far back in his mind as he grabbed a snack from the pantry. He was certain his grandfather would want to hear.

“Have you, now? And was that man right? Have you found all that patience and perspective he talked about?” Solomon asked curiously, hands poised on his knees and a smile of interest on his thinned lips as he leaned towards Yuugi.

“I’ve definitely found the patience he talked about,” Yuugi divulged, “but I think I’ll have to wait and see on the perspective part of it.” Unless perspective came in the form of intense but fleeting migraines. He certainly hoped that wasn't going to become a routine occurrence.

Solomon gave him a nod of approval, sharing a warm, fatherly smile. “I see. Either way, I’m proud of you, Yuugi. And I’m glad I brought you that gift. I don’t think anyone could be more deserving of having it than you,” he gushed, which brought a rosy glow to Yuugi’s face.

“Oh, grandpa, stop,” He laughed, a silvery lilt in between bites of food. “Anyhow, you’re sure that puzzle wasn’t cursed?” Yuugi asked once more, but this time, it was only partly a joke.

Solomon let out a hearty chortle, but there was a flicker of something other than humor or cataracts that clouded his eyes. “This is the second time you’ve asked me about that. Is there something you aren’t telling me?” the elder of the two asked curiously.

Yuugi swallowed another mouthful of food. “Oh, no, nothing like that, it’s just… something that could offer you more patience and a new perspective on life doesn't seem like something I'd give away… why not use it for yourself?” he asked, neither lying nor being entirely honest.

Solomon seemed to find his question rather funny. “Oh, Yuugi! At my age, I could hardly manage to have any more patience!” He laughed, and Yuugi felt a bit more at ease hearing his explanation. Still… his grandfather wasn’t in any stretch of the imagination rich, and he didn’t think anyone would sell something so valuable for less than it was worth if they weren’t totally ignorant, or there was some severe drawback to having it.

Maybe it was just a piece of no monetary value, only appealing through its outward appearance and lacking in actual value. He supposed that was probably the case, and the merchant who’d sold it to his grandfather spoke highly of it to clear space on his shelves. Still, the puzzle was very valuable to him, considering all the times it helped him ground himself after nightmares. It was as familiar as an old friend and just as comforting.

As he climbed his way back up the stairs to his room, he heard a voice ringing in his ears, one that didn’t belong to Solomon. Yuugi’s blood pressure bloomed, he could hear his pulse in his ears and chills raced through his spine.

“Yuugi Muto… I’d like to thank you for reassembling my millennium puzzle. We’ll be talking again shortly… There is much to go over.” it said, subtle and soft on his ears, barely a quiet cerebral flutter. He’d pretend it was just his overly active imagination or lack of sleep playing a trick on him, but the imprint it had left on him suggested otherwise.

Fantastic. Hallucinations! The perfect way to finish a summer. He couldn’t have thought of a better way to smother out his pride or threaten the possibility of a great new school year. His friends could handle his everyday eccentricities interwoven betwixt his sunny personality and sense of humor, but he wasn’t sure how he could handle hallucinations, let alone expect anyone else to.

He tucked himself into bed, hoping and pretending that tomorrow would prove the whole mess as unimportant. Trite. However, uncertainty washed over him and the thin line of disembodied voice kept him awake and pondering; If his mind, while still entirely conscious, concocted voices from nowhere, what nightmares awaited him behind the lids of his eyes? What monsters morphed from imagination’s less-than-merry malevolence?

Yuugi held no interest in finding out. What did another sleepless night mean to him anymore? If it meant he could avoid these visions of fear, he didn’t see a reason to shut his eyes longer than a blink. Glancing to his puzzle, he ran the tip of his finger from the tip along the face, a scowl hardening his expression.

He found a reason to shut his eyes as his unwanted visitor reared its head- inside of his head. Clearer, louder than before. No longer an intangible echo, but a firmer articulation.

“Why don’t you get some rest?” the voice suggested, articulate, warm, rich as wild honey, and almost convincing, “it’s not healthy to stay up so late…”

Yuugi found a snarl on his lips and rolled onto his side. “It’s not healthy to be hearing voices that aren’t real, either,” he spat and covered his eyes with the back of his hand. Amazing- not only was he hearing voices, he was carrying a conversation with them! Or rather, it. Thankfully, it was only one, and he was determined to be rid of it by tomorrow.

It continued pressing him to close his eyes, to fall asleep, and, despite not saying it directly, encouraged Yuugi to subject himself to his own psyche. He decided it might be worth taking the regular hallucinations of dreaming over the irregular expression of his new manifestation pounding in his ears.

He surrendered to sleep, even if just to avoid the presence of the voice, and swiftly it overtook him. He fell into the unfamiliar world of the recesses of his mind, into which the voice did not dissipate, but instead materialized further. 

Formed from the unfortunately familiar voice was a man of a deep ochre complexion, a few inches taller than himself and sturdy. Unyielding black curls crowned his head, and dark, glimmering eyes lit up his face.

Yuugi knew this man was the owner of the voice that had just recently began haunting him. Because of this, he grew wary, distancing himself from him. He took a few shy and hesitant paces back, but kept his eyes on him, unsure what he would try to do. In previous experiences and recollections, the hazy place he dissolved into when his eyes shut firmly for the night never granted him tranquility or the whimsical playground typical to an average dream.

However, as things formed in clarity under the magnification of his mind’s eye, this wasn’t the back alleyway scenery he was formerly acquainted with. Instead, lavender skies took the place of black haze and cool puffs of cloudy white wisps took to lining the horizon. The sun had yet to rear its harsh solar rays across the land, and he was caught at the enchanting hour of dawn, standing before a beautiful man. He’d had worse dreams, and currently, he'd wager that this might have been the best one to grace him all summer.

Yuugi waited. He stood motionless, tense, waiting for this tall figure to do... Something. What did handsome men in dreams typically do? Well... He supposed he wouldn't object if that was how this would be going down, but he didn't think that was what would be happening tonight, sadly.

“Who are you?” Yuugi asked, rubbing his face, eyes tired and feeling incredibly disoriented from the events currently unfolding.

“My name is Atem… And we’ll be seeing each other a lot more, I believe.”


	3. Dreamscape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atem finally gets a proper introduction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would anyone feel adversely if I added a few other ships in here? Like slight hints at, not full on. (Like thiefshipping/puppyshipping?)

A name was hardly enough introduction for a spirit who had possessed his puzzle and now took refuge in the most intimate space of his mind. Hopefully, Atem could understand that much. However... Atem was pretty calm about the entire possession affair. Or, perhaps it wasn't possession? After all, he never ceased to have control over his body or was forced to perform occult rituals... This was a lot different than what Hollywood productions had prepared him for, now that he thought about it.

Atem continued to speak as if he had known the tracks of Yuugi's train of thought, as well as its start and its stops. "I have no plans of inhibiting your free will," he made clear to him, "I think it would be beneficial for the two of us if you continued living your life exactly as you would, with minor input from me..." A pause caught him in the middle of his thought as if he had wavered in his convictions, but only so slightly as to hold off his relaying of the message for just a moment. "However... If you should attempt such an act with the intention of severing our souls, intentional or not..." Atem said, meeting Yuugi's gaze with his own intense stare, "I will take control until the situation is corrected."

This sounded much closer in alignment to what pop culture possession was portrayed to be like. The magical item, an ouija board or something similar falling into the hands of a teen with no comprehension of such sorts of affairs with cold-blooded, monstrous murderers. It was also much, much scarier of a thought, that at any moment, his body could have been taken over and used to do Atem's bidding, whatever it may be, in a split second if he messed things up for himself. And he didn't even know how to avoid the situations he was being warned about!

His mouth was parched, jaw slackened. His tongue fumbled in his mouth, attempting to form words. The pitch of his voice had raised an octave by the time he found a voice inside himself, his nerves aflame. "What would... How would that happen? Just, so I can prevent it from happening?" Yuugi stammered weakly.

Atem waved his hand dismissively as if batting away Yuugi’s question. He walked forward throughout this unfamiliar setting that served as their meeting place. On further inspection of this picturesque scene laid out before him, underneath a rosy lavender heaven, a handful of stars were still alight in the morning sky, he was in an aisle of what appeared to be a Middle Eastern bazaar. A narrow, earthen pathway stood between rows of cluttered and crowded booths, each stocked various things, such as produce and baked goods, to tools and other wares, but abandoned, their merchants no place in sight.

When he turned his focus back to Atem, he’d already gotten a substantial distance ahead of him. He gave him a glance over his shoulder. “Are you coming?” Atem inquired, not bothering to pause, figuring Yuugi would catch up to him if he had the interest in doing so.

As it turned out, Yuugi did catch up. In consideration of his personal history with dreams, he would rather keep close to this stranger than be alone. In an uneasy rush, he sprinted to find his place at Atem’s side once more with an immense hunger growling for answers. Answers on Atem, answers on himself, and whether or not their intermixing consciousness was a permanent fixture on his psyche. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to his presence and the way he seemed to float along in a plane of his own existence. “So?” Yuugi pressed on in his search for explanations, “What should I do to prevent that?”

Atem gave him a glance, his lips thinning slightly as they pursed into a frown. “If you don’t have any ideas on how you would do that already, I won’t tempt you,” he said, continuing on, refusing to meet Yuugi’s eyes, “It’s nothing you would do by accident.”

Atem’s subtle insinuation made it clear to Yuugi what he was hinting at. Dying. The threat of his death would make it so Atem no longer had any control over a body, nor respite from whatever plane of existence he resided in previously. 

Yuugi found a question springing into mind; what happened when you were denied from your physical form? When spirit had split from flesh and bone when the bond as old as life itself was severed in such severity? He had a feeling Atem knew all too well. “Who are you?” Yuugi persisted, beyond a name, beyond appearances, “where are you from? How did you become trapped in the puzzle?”

Atem halted in his proceeding, stopping there as Yuugi continued to prod. “Is this… something you really want to know?” He asked, his gaze passing over Yuugi suspiciously.

Yuugi faltered, his reflexes did not match that of Atem’s stop. He paused, not knowing what Atem had meant by this. “I don’t- don’t know why I wouldn’t,” Yuugi said, stammering uneasily, “we should know each other, at least a little bit if you’re… You know, going to be staying… here."

Atem gave him a nod and continued on, “Egypt. I lived in Egypt. As for the puzzle…” It was Atem’s turn to pause now, "There are sins in my past that I must atone for.”

Yuugi was perplexed on what that could have meant, and more specifically what it could have meant for him, personally. Whatever tendencies that tempted him towards sins or depravity of some sort that lead him to be tethered to his subconscious, he was glad he didn’t have a physical form to practice them on him these days. However, the more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed Atem would derive any benefit nor pleasure from hurting him, though. He needed him, and relied on him, in a way almost parasitic. However, that didn’t mean he had great intentions. It would be best if he could stay on the right side of Atem.

“Egypt?” Yuugi asked, smiling softly, hoping to gain some appeal as he rattled on, “I’m Egyptian. Well. At least a little. My grandfather is Egyptian for the most part, I’m probably at least half.” It explained his complexion. Not pale or pink in any way, but definitely not as rich or swarthy as Atem’s. It also gave reason for the extensive kink and curl to his hair, quite similar to Atem’s own.

Atem didn’t seem terribly impressed by their shared heritage, but he didn’t have any adverse reaction to it. He just seemed indifferent. Either that or he wasn’t paying him the slightest bit of his attention. Whichever way he chose to look at it, it could’ve been worse. Especially with Yuugi’s track record on nightmares

He reached out to touch his shoulder shyly, calling out to him to get his attention. “Atem?” He asked and grabbed his shoulder. Atem was built from smooth skin over a hard granite frame, and was so shockingly sturdy. A part of him was surprised that there was any impact at all and that he hadn't simply passed through him. The second his hand met Atem’s shoulder he jolted, and for the first time, he actually turned to meet his gaze, something other than indifference shone in his eyes; it was electric. Suddenly, Atem was no longer gliding in some plane of existence above him, as if with one touch Yuugi had revived him.

His dark eyes weren’t the brown he’d anticipated, but rather a deep, shadowed cerise. Yuugi removed his hand, his gentle touch withdrawn. He’d certainly managed to get his attention now, and now he wasn’t quite sure of what to do with it. Was this going to be habitual of their relationship? For Atem to just look at him, and he loses all train of thought? Ridiculous!

“Yes?” Atem asked, considering Yuugi had asked for this anyway.

“Well, I was just thinking… How long will you be sticking around?” He asked- the right question, posed at the wrong time.

“It depends on however long it takes for me to pass on,” Atem said, which had been a rather morose idea, now that it had come up. A sixteen year old holding the responsibility to amend an ancient man’s sins, finding redemption for him as he tried to conquer high school. Finding fulfillment for someone else seemed a far too adult task for him. Was it possible for him, even? He could hardly figure out what he wanted for himself, let alone someone who had made home in a time so long ago. At least, that was what he figured from the way they were dressed, as well as the kohl that lined Atem’s eyes. In fact, this whole place seemed entirely unfamiliar to him, from someone else’s mind and memory.

“Atem?” Yuugi found himself inquiring once more.

“Yes?” he responded once more, seemingly warming up to him- or perhaps that was Yuugi's imagination, fueled by wishful thinking. However, he'd need that optimism to keep him going if he were to go on living with Atem this way.

“Did you..?” Yuugi made a gesture to the landscape, as it seemed they’d walked out of the Bazaar a while ago, the scenery having changed to an oasis while he hadn’t paid attention. It was a good thing Atem was the one leading them here, or he would’ve definitely tripped over something and made a fool of himself.

Atem gave him a nod of affirmation. “Yes. Is it not to your liking?” he asked, and although he was a bit more engaged now, he didn't seem incredibly attached to what Yuugi was saying to him.

“No! Nothing like that at all, it’s… it’s really beautiful, actually. I just didn’t recognize the place, is all,” he assured him, showing him his palms. “But… does that mean you can take me somewhere nice like this... every night?” Yuugi asked, selfishly desperate to know if Atem could give him the refuge he so desired.

The idea of being able to sleep in sound silence once more had become very appealing. Rest without restlessness, slumber no longer smothered by encroaching fears and terrors of the night. It sounded like a dream come true- no pun intended. He worried his naïvety may be taking his sensibility captive. The classic case of Apollonian versus Dionysian. Should he really be putting his faith into this impossible stranger? The path to the promised land had never seemed so closely intertwined to the road to hell, but his body riddled with exhaustion and mind on the verge of collapse had fed him with only the sweetest coercion to tip the scales in Atem's favor.

The look of admiration directed towards the handsome apparition's power with an undercurrent of desperation that rested in Yuugi's innocent eyes did not go unnoticed, and to say Atem looked surprised to see this sort of treatment once again was an understatement. Such humble adoration present in his host's expression was unlike anything he'd witnessed in the years he spent confined in the walls of the puzzle. Mouth dry, he nodded and found himself in agreement. “Of course, it’s simple,” Atem agreed with a wave of his hand as if the manipulation of Yuugi’s unconscious was child’s play, and it seemed that their relationship had shifted from that of parasitism to one of a more... symbiotic proportion.

For the first time in that summer that he could recall, Yuugi slept all night, even if his new job’s description was a bit too complicated, and maybe more than a tad unsettling... Perhaps even a lot more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title has changed from 'New Perspectives' to 'Until the Bitter End.' New Perspectives was always a place holder if I'm being honest.


	4. The meet up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi meets up with an old friend to recount the summer happenings. News of an event comes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be out last month wOOPS.

Every late summer morning, Yuugi had awoken to exhaustion folding down around him, wishing he could manage to shut his eyes once again and dissolve into a state of dreamless REM. However, this held to be untrue on this particular summer day. He welcomed the change, and found himself in acceptance of last night’s impromptu meeting, anticipating the next time in his future. He was nearly guilty for leaving his grandfather in the dark on the entirety of the gift he'd given him.

His conscience was just going to have to swallow that bit of guilt because there was no way in hell he was going to tell anyone he'd recently been possessed by an ancient Egyptian spirit that had stowed away for centuries inside the walls of an archaic puzzle. Yuugi had always had some ideas that surpassed the borders of acceptable conversation topics, but that was just too much. He couldn't imagine what his grandfather would say about a D.I.D, let alone his friends.

In what had grown into a habitual way of doing so, he glanced over at the puzzle, ready to put his best effort into solving it. However, memories of solving the entirety of it came flooding back to him, as well as the aftershocks of what came with it. It seemed impossible to have forgotten something so crucial, but as was the nature of many dreams. Most mornings he always felt as though he was missing something important, the travel from subconscious realms into reality obfuscates the tricky matters. Considering what he could remember easily from when he was still conscious, he managed to fill in the gaps for the most part.

He remembered Atem, the man caught in purgatory inside of his puzzle since so long ago, the conditions of their… partnership, and his promise to guard his dreams, so long as… So long as he… Well. That was the gash in the story he was doing his best to cement into one. He knew it was important… So… He'd figure it out. Sooner or later. He didn't have much of an idea on how to summon his headmate while he was awake, or if he genuinely wanted to do strike up that line of conversation right now. In the meantime, though, he didn't know what he'd fill his waking moments with until he spoke with Atem again to figure out the critical details that had eluded him.

The pondering of such a question was excellent in its timing, as his phone seemed to answer his inward inquiries. A text from Joey showed up on the lock screen, and a grin fell onto Yuugi’s face. God! He hadn't seen Wheeler since June! They had to meet up before school started up again. He had indeed held a fair bit of regret on practically ignoring him all summer...

The glaring light emitted from the screen of Yuugi’s phone was harsh on his eyes after just waking up, but he managed to read on after adjusting the light intensity. Joey had invited him to meet him at the park just off of South, as well as to bring his deck. Yuugi always accepted Joey’s challenges, and he'd yet to lose. However, it had been awhile since his last duel with him, so maybe Joey had been practicing, and his friend would offer him a fair challenge this time. After all, he’d hardly thought about duel monsters in weeks. It would be refreshing to have another go against Joey after he'd solved the puzzle he'd worked on so fervently in the summer. It would be fun.

Quickly, he fired off a response, his thumbs tapping away at his phone, accepting Joey’s invitation for once.

‘Sure! Hope you're ready to lose! Btw I finished my puzzle yesterday!’

Joey was quick on the draw, and Yuugi received a text back in less than a minute.

‘No way! With all the practicing I've been doing, your going to get your ass handed to u 4 once!’

‘*you’re’

‘*you're a nerd u know that + congrats on the puzzle. See u @noon?’

‘Definitely!’

Honestly, Yuugi couldn't believe he'd skipped out on visiting his friends for so long because of the puzzle… He could hardly have prevented it, though. The way it called to him was magnetic, and the reason behind that magnetism had begun to show. To him, at least.

Yuugi shrugged off the thoughts of the millennium puzzle’s ancient call, instead slipping its pyramidal form into his bag for later, along with his deck most familiar to him inside of a small tin case for later.

But first priorities were to eat something. He was starving, now that breakfast was brought to his attention. He slipped out of pajamas and pulled on a fresh shirt as well as pants. It was reasonable weather to be wearing slacks as opposed to shorts, right? Yuugi decided it was a fair wardrobe decision, and made the trek to the kitchen, where he met his grandfather already preparing breakfast.

He enjoyed a particularly cordial breakfast with his grandfather, engaging in all the usual morning conversation, actually awake enough to understand it on this occasion. Upon asking if he could go out to see Wheeler today, his grandfather all but rushed him out the door. Solomon constantly wanted him to spend more time with peers of his own age, for as much as he enjoyed Yugi’s company and help around the shop, he found it unhealthy for his grandson to spend his entire summer with an “old man.”

Yuugi wasn't terribly vain, but his primping, preening and other general principles of getting ready to leave his house could easily fill the time between leaving the table and leaving the house with nothing but preparation. Hell, it wouldn't be a shock to anyone if he'd spent an hour lining his eyes had he had been given the option. In between his morning rituals, he eyed the puzzle peeking out from his open bag, and couldn't help but to worry about its golden form being knocked around and possibly sustaining damages, colliding with other items. Atem certainly wouldn't appreciate that sort of treatment.

He picked it up, turning it over in his hands when he glanced an arch protruding from the bottom of the pyramid, thick enough to support its weight. Yuugi set it back down on its side in search for a chain to attach to the golden arch, and found a strand of sturdy silver chain that fit the bill. He just barely managed to thread it through the hole of the arch, but when he had, he threw it on over his head and wore it as a necklace. It may have looked overpowering on him, Yuugi mused, but he decided it was still the best way to keep a close eye on it, and prevent it from being in harm’s way.

Yuugi had come to the conclusion he'd spent more time than intended fiddling with his puzzle, and in checking the clock on his phone, he realized it was only ten minutes to noon. If he had any intention of being to the park on time to meet Joey, he'd need to get going, and quickly. Yuugi swung his bag over his shoulder, and made a brisk exit, embarking on his trip to the park.

***

“Yuugi I swear ta’ God, you've gotta be cheating!” Joey said, throwing down his hand of cards onto the park’s lattice table, the metal meshwork of it beginning to rust.

“Nope, I must just be lucky,” Yuugi said, deducting the few hundred life points Joey had remaining on their scrap sheet of paper Yuugi was keeping score on. “Are you sure you've been practicing~?” Yuugi teased, glancing back up to meet his friend's eyes with an all too proud grin on his lips.

“There’s jus’ no way anyone can be that lucky ta’ beat me three times in a row! What's ya’ secret?” He asked, totally confounded. Even when he'd seemed to have been keeping Yuugi on his toes throughout the duel, Yuugi had turned it all around on him with only a few turns. “Even afta’ I learned ta’ set traps an’ all that…”

“Well, I could definitely tell you're getting better at it,” Yuugi mentioned, “I even noticed you've got some new cards… Where’d you get those from, anyhow?” He hadn't been around at all this summer, had Joey met some new friends he didn't know about? That also had a taste for duel monsters?

“Oh, ya’ like ‘em?” Joey said, smiling sheepishly. “Made a friend over the summer. Name’s Mai- she can be a real pain in the neck, but damn good at duel monsters. She’s really taught me a few things ya’ know?” he explained.

“Oh, really? Is that where you've been learning all that strategy? I'll have to meet her sometime,” Yuugi suggested, giving his deck a shuffle before putting it back in his little metal tin for safekeeping. He'd missed out on a lot in the duration he’d spent assembling his puzzle, and Yuugi was starting to get a bit of perspective on just how much now that he was talking to Joey again.

“And a lil’ somethin’ else she told me?” Joey said, leaning in to where he was just about on the edge of his seat, “there’s a duel monsters competition comin’ up in our area- and get this, Maximillion Pegasus is hosting it. I hear there’s a big prize for winnin’ you know? Don't know just how much, but that Pegasus guy’s gotta be loaded, y’know? No way he'd host a contest like that for somethin’ cheap. It's the real deal, y’know?” Joey’s elbows had now taken up just about half the space on the table, he had leaned in so far in his excitement. Yuugi could see why something of that caliber would have his friend in such a buzz. From the things he knew about Joey’s home life, his father had racked up a fair amount of debt drinking and gambling, as well as a sister in need of surgery. When it came to problems, Joey’s had price tags attached.

“Wow, that's pretty cool, do you know how you'd even enter into a tournament like that?” Yuugi asked, having an interest in competitions as well as entertaining Joey’s fantasies of winning it all.

“Well, uh, I don’t know all the details, but Mai’s already gotten accepted in. I know some o’ the winners of other duel monster’s tournaments have been personally invited. I think you've gotta be tested on your skill level before they let ya’ in, see what cards ya’ got an’ all, but I know that you'd make it in, Yuug’. You're practically a champ already!” Joey cheered, “Now I’ve jus’ gotta worry about how I’ll make it in.”

Yuugi laughed at this, smiling at his friend’s enthusiasm as well as his confidence in him. “I don't know if I'd say that… I've got a lot of practice, but I don't know how I'd do on a competitive level. The best of the best would be competing in a place like that…” he mused, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear, “but I guess it wouldn't hurt to enter. It might be fun, right? And I guess it's a good of a place as any to meet that new friend of yours.”

Why not sign up? It would be his last event of the summer to end August with a bang. After all, the worst that could happen was that Yuugi wouldn't get a letter of rejection, but he had enough humility to accept failure if it were to come. It was just a card game, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to post every chapter on a date with a five in it. So be on the look out for fives.


	5. Death of a dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharing a headspace with a long dead spirit comes with some unfortunate and unanticipated consequences.

Yuugi dipped his toes into the water, just as Atem had coaxed him to do. He was hesitant; the water of this pool was just a little too natural for his tastes, no matter how clear. But it was only a dream after all, and Yuugi believed he was safe in this world Atem had sculpted out of his subconscious. After all, Atem had promised him that. He sat down beside the water and sank his legs into it, weightless feet kicking softly before he looked over to his partner. He supposed that was the name they'd started using for each other. 

Lotus flowers bloomed in Atem’s presence in their dreamland pool, seeming to rise from the depths to meet him. The Egyptian cupped one of them in his hands and stroked one of its soft petals with his thumb. He was the picture of grace, but as he had told him before, his very being in his mind was the evidence of him falling from such a position.

By now, Yuugi’d had a better comprehension as well as a remembrance of Atem’s position; it had been a week of living through their unique situation. They never talked about his past, nor the events that took place that led him to have his fate tangled and intertwined with his own. Yuugi wasn't about to pressure him into spilling out the secrets of the past, and Yuugi's uncertainty on his readiness to hear some of his partner's transgressions was a largely responsible for quelling his curious nature. However, there was something he did need to speak to Atem about. Urgently. His own memory.

Throughout the tail end of the past week, Yuugi’s days drifted by in a near unconscious daze. An unprecedented amount of excitement had occurred through those few days, yet he remembered very little of it all. It was like his body had resigned to autopilot, and while he had a vague understanding of what happened throughout the events, he couldn't bring himself to feel any attachment to it. Yuugi remembered the hours spent asleep with Atem more vividly than he could half the time he was supposedly conscious.

He’d found himself in a duel with Seto Kaiba from his homeroom, stone cold heir of KaibaCorp. as well as the world champion of duel monsters, and in some stroke of luck nothing short of miraculous, he won. He had summoned Exodia just before his last life points were extinguished by Seto’s trio of Blue Eyes- at least, that's what Joey had said. A feat never to have been accomplished in officially recorded duel monster’s history. As incredible as it all was, Yuugi found himself detached as if it was someone else's accomplishments.

It was as if a film had been placed on his memories, and if it was this unsatisfactory for him, he could only imagine it was even worse for Atem, witnessing it second-hand. At this rate, he'd never be able to help him escape this limbo, and a guilt weighed on him because of it, filling the cavity of his chest.

Atem had only ever been kind to him. In the night, he’d offered him refuge in the sweetest dreams, and in the day, he would keep his company with gentle words spoken to him from the back of his mind that couldn't be attributed to anything but the cordial spirit. He kept his end of the bargain to Yuugi and even went beyond that in the niceties he offered. He lifted so much weight off of his shoulders, but he had failed him. He could not afford such a thing. And neither could Atem. Yugi had known him for a week, he knew nothing of his past or what the future foretold for him, but he deserved a chance at peace. More than anything, Yuugi wanted to give him that.

The resonance of Atem’s voice broke him out of his thoughts, and he shifted his gaze up from his position fixed on the water. “What?” He asked, having been too caught up in a hot wash of shame to comprehend what he'd asked of him.

Atem’s sharp visage took on a softer expression. “Are you okay, Yuugi?” He asked, joining him, taking a seat at his side, “you seem distant tonight.”

Yuugi glanced up to meet his eyes but found it hard to hold his gaze for longer than a few seconds. “I… I'm fine, but, I’m worried,” he confessed, his voice soft with uncertainty. He shouldn't bother voicing his inadequacies, he really shouldn't, but Atem had the right to know. “These last few days I… It feels like I'm not myself. I don't want this to become a habit- I know it must affect you, too, and I really want to… I want to be able to-” Yuugi was silenced as he felt the subtle weight of Atem’s hand rest on his shoulder.

“Yuugi,” he interrupted, voice soft in reassurance, "these days I've been able to spend with you have been the best I've had in a long, long time. You don't need to worry about me." 

Yuugi kept his eyes lowered, staring down at his reflection in the water: lips pursed and his eyes glazed over with a look of defeat. Atem was at least partially right- his worrying wouldn't resolve anything for either of them, but he could hardly find comfort in that with his memory still so skewed.

"I just don't understand it," Yuugi said with a sigh, dragging his finger across the glassy top of the water, watching it ripple at his touch. "I've never dealt with something like this before, I just feel so... helpless," he leaned over, resting his elbows on his thighs, exhaling deeply. "You're sure you don't hate me too much?" he asked, turning to finally meet Atem's gaze, looking resigned to this chronic lack of his focus. It was certainly hard to look at, Yuugi's charming optimism and sunny disposition withering beside him.

"Yuugi," Atem called softly, his voice filled with some sort of foreign understanding, "It's not your fault." The back of Atem's calloused palm gently brushed Yuugi's arm. "What you're talking about... That's all my doing." 

Yuugi sat up sharply at this, unsure of what Atem was saying. "What are you saying?" he asked, desperate to understand what that could have meant. Was it Atem's placement alongside Yuugi's that had screwed him up? Was he just destined to live the rest of his life as a passive observer, until Atem could pass on? 

Or was this something else entirely? The memory of his first encounter swept over him, and he remembered Atem's previous warning.

"I'm saying," Atem pressed forward, "that you feel the way you do when I take over. There have been some occasions in this past week when I've taken control."

Yuugi pulled away from Atem, all life fading fast from his face. "Control? You've taken control of my body? Without asking? Without warning me at all? I..." Just like that, Atem was a horrifying creature that was still shrouded in darkness, that seized control of him, had powers he couldn't name. He was terribly wrong to think he understood him at all. "I need to go... right now." He stood up, stepping away from Atem, retreating, much to the other's chagrin. 

How could he leave? Waking up from dreams and ripped from unconsciousness... How did it usually happen? Nightmares used to shake him from sleep so frequently, but what was the trigger? Falling, that would rouse him for certain, but... whipping his head around, there were no tall peaks or sharp cliffs he could leap from. Murder was also a frequent occurrence that would wake him, but here were no armed villains to cut him free from this nightmare. What else? 

"Yuugi, whatever you might be thinking, please reconsider- we can talk through this until we resolve the-"

Suffocation. He couldn't count how many times he woke up, sweating and gasping for breath from the clutches of slumber in a sharp jolt. He caught one last glance of disapproval from Atem before he stepped forward and plunged down into the pool Atem had carved into his head, completely disregarding his suggestions.

He dove deep into the pool, eyes open in search of a bed of soil he could grasp to until he ran out of oxygen to keep him dreaming. Glancing up behind him, Atem had dove in after him, looking to pull him out, but he was much too late. Yuugi was already swimming down, reaching the bottom without breath to suffice. He let go of the air he'd sucked in, bubbles rising from his throat, lungs ready to collapse.

He gasped as he entered back into reality, sweat dripping from his brow and feeling like hell. This was too much. How clueless could he be?


	6. Terms of Agreement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A resolution to the last chapter, but is this agreement the end of Yuugi's troubles with Atem?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter; let's be honest, no one is going to read a long terms of agreement.

He felt the thrum of his pulse in his ears; it was all that resounded in Yuugi’s head after the falling out of his new nightmare. He slung his legs over the edge of his bed, the walk to the shower felt more like he was floating somewhere in between realities. In a sense, life as Yuugi had known it, was over- snuffed out by the new force sharing the space in his mind and body. It was no longer his own, after all. At the mercy of Atem’s will, the use of his body was no longer something under his own ownership and could be rented out to some unfamiliar spirit for an unspecified amount of time without his consent or even forewarning.

He felt disgusting. He needed to wash away this awful feeling with something more than soap and water, but the sweat that clung in a necklace around his throat as well as the tears smeared across his cheeks had got to go, so the tangible measures of cleansing would have to suffice for the time being. 

He sunk down to sit on the floor of the tub and allowed the spray of the shower to run down his back. Cold or hot, it didn’t matter; temperature was an easier subject to focus on. There was no crippling weight behind shivers or scalding of the spray of the showerhead. Perhaps he could try and force the feelings of total violation and disgust down if he thought on something else long enough.

He felt insulted. More than a feeling, he was outraged. Yuugi was a forgiving person- he’d taken fists to his smooth jaw, insults, jabs, and taunts, only to return these abuses with forgiveness and compassion, but this was no mere physical transgression. To take his will, his choice, the few rights he had in this world away from him was more devastating than any combination of schoolyard misdemeanors dealt unto him. 

Realization dawned on him that the reason those clever words that spilled from his mouth tasted so odd on his lips as he challenged Kaiba was because they were never his own. His eyebrows knit together tightly. His friends were none the wiser to any of this going on, at no point in time was this switch evident to them.

“Nothing to say, now, huh?” Yuugi asked his headmate beneath the hiss of running water, arms crossed, knees pulled to his chest. Where was that charming apparition's wit now, and just where had it landed Atem?

He began to reconsider his opinion of Atem. Perhaps he was nothing more than a parasite as his original impression of him had suggested. Perhaps his condemnation to share the physical form of some sixteen-year-old was his divine punishment, and perhaps he deserved every bit of suffering Yuugi could possibly bring to him. Yuugi had never been one to indulge in spite or vindictive behavior, but new circumstances of new severities called for new sorts of retaliation to defend himself with.

Yuugi turned the dial off, having found himself clean enough in the physical sense to justify leaving the shower. From the shelving, he grabbed a towel to get rid of some of the water as to not soak his pillow case. His sheets weren't meant to be the target of his anger or malintent.

Sitting in the suffocating silence of his bedroom with this frustration boiling underneath his skin was becoming unbearable. What made it so intolerable was that same person who brought such a great offense to him, who tore one of those few fundamental rights that belonged to him out of his grasp, shared the same space as him, and blatantly refused to give him any sort of response. There came no apologies, god forbid even the simplicity of a single response to placate him.

A part of him that Yuugi rarely considered indulging just wanted to scream, to yell, to throw it all back at Atem, anything to express his distress at his current situation. However, considering he didn't feel so talkative tonight, he could only stew over his resentments because he certainly wasn't about to let himself fall back into the world under Atem's own authority. He wouldn't allow him any more control than he absolutely could not help. The idea of seeing him again on this wretched evening was a nightmare in itself.

"I only did it to protect you,” came the voice of Yuugi’s currently unwelcome guest buzzing in his ear to draw him out of his thoughts, and oh, what an impeccable choice of words he had tonight. First, he’d confessed that he’d stolen away Yuugi’s autonomy, and now he insisted that it was entirely for his host’s own benefit? Yuugi merely scoffed at this, unbelieving.

“He had stolen something of yours,” Atem elaborated. Which, as Yuugi recalled, he supposed that he wasn’t entirely incorrect, but the doing of his classmate did not upset him in the degree that Atem's possession had.

“You told me you wouldn’t take over unless we were threatened to be pulled apart.” Yuugi wasn’t through with him yet; from what he was saying, it was almost convincing that Atem was only trying to help, but he couldn’t take anything of this relationship at face value, as he'd proven to him from their last conversation. There needed boundaries to be set, and strict rules to follow. After everything was said and done, this was Yuugi’s body, and Atem was the one who was granted the permission and privilege to dwell within his mind. He was to learn the hard limits Yuugi had set, or else he’d… Well, he’d do something, and hopefully, it could be more destructive to Atem than to himself.

“Should I not have been concerned?” He asked, sounding thoughtful and concerned from that intimate space from the back of Yuugi’s head.

“It was only a card game,” Yuugi muttered softly, a scowl on his lips as he glanced down at his hands and absently picked at his cuticles. In the defense of his ancient acquaintance, the hyperreal holographic arena was quite the shock to him as well. Why was it that Atem had this awful hold over him? Couldn’t he manage to grow a bit of a spine for once? He was inches away from forgiving this spirit already, this apparition who took hold of his body without the slightest warning. 

“I see…” Atem said, echoing through his ears until Yuugi once again found enough backbone and force in himself to break the silence.

“I don’t want you doing this again- not without my permission,” he said, hoping that his apprehension didn’t ring so prominently in his voice in the same way as he felt it stirring in his veins. How on earth could he prove to anyone else that he wasn’t so dreadfully weak if he could hardly even prove it to himself? It was imperative that his word be heeded if their lives could be intertwined for the rest of Yuugi's mortal existence. He was unwilling to have his freedom and choice compromised so early on. He was only sixteen.

Luckily, his shaky proposition was enough for his partner, even if he’d barely managed to convince himself. “If that is what you wish, I will only take control when it is not absolutely necessary if I have received your blessing first,” he agreed, much to Yuugi’s relief, “but I must insist you come back to sleep…”

Yuugi was hesitant to agree to the proposal. However, as much as Yuugi was very committed to the idea of showing the other just how far spite could drive him- meaning another sleepless night- he _did_ enjoy having eight hours of uninterrupted rest on a nightly basis...


	7. Refusal Denied

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing is ever as simple as Yuugi intends it to be, but this taking it to a new kind of extreme.

Yuugi's forgiveness of Atem's actions was not to be confused as forgetting the dangers that threatened their symbiosis- that threatened to snuff out Yuugi's freedom as if it were as frail as the flame of a candle, and Atem was a blustery gust of wind. The days that followed Yuugi's new understanding of his situation with his head mate, Yuugi took caution in all that he did, paying constant attention to his focus, his control, finding reasons to account for even the most mundane of his actions. Currently, Yuugi bound himself to the mundane to keep himself from trouble, testing the waters with Atem so he might prove the value of his word before he had to consider taking more drastic actions on controlling the other. 

Yuugi took to retrieving the mail, eyeing the labels with his eyes glazed over with boredom as he opened up the door. Bills, advertisements, coupons, duel monsters monthly magazine that caught his attention briefly, but nothing piqued his interest quite like the letter addressed to him directly from Maximillion Pegasus. Quickly, he quelled the adrenaline pulse that struck him as he was reminded he would not be pushing his luck with Atem by flying out for competition.

It was a bad idea, after all. Yuugi would not be tempting fate so shortly after Atem's last incident with Seto. He figured if the Kaiba Corporation had gotten their hands on the type of technology to project holographic monsters in vivid, flashing, frightening detail, Pegasus must have had something even better as the creator of the game. Something even more enticing to draw out his second personality. It wasn't a possibility he wanted to consider.

But there was no harm in taking a peek at the letter inside, was there? After all, it was possible that it was simply a letter of rejection. There was the possibility that it was simply a polite let down, to tell him that despite his remarkable performance against Seto Kaiba in recent events, Yuugi simply didn't have enough history in duel monsters competitively to be accepted into this prestigious tournament. Yuugi should, at the very least, read it. It was only proper etiquette, and after all the effort he'd put into entering the contest, he had the right to know what the letter had read.

After a brief pause of contemplation, Yuugi had decided tear open the envelope, careful not to tear the precious note inside. His eyes caught a glimpse of bold lettering of an address, and a hollowness filled the cavity of his chest. To his dismay, Maximillion Pegasus had invited him to the tournament, that his name had been penned onto the roster of fierce contestants, and that he would look forward to his arrival to the Duelist Kingdom. There was no room for negotiation in the margins as if Pegasus had not accounted for a contestant to drop out. He would simply have to make a call to sort this out and cancel any arrangements.

With a heavy heart and a sigh from the depths of his lungs, Yuugi discarded the letter into the garbage bin to be forgotten. What would he say to Joey? Should Pegasus have not admitted him into the competition, he could have shown him the letter, groaned and complained about it, and they'd laugh together about the unfairness of the situation, whether or not Yuugi could have attended it. However, Joey would know he was lying if he told him this without any evidence. It didn't take a genius to comprehend the incredible feat that had occurred between Yuugi and Seto would have effortlessly reserved any duelist a slot in the rankings of duelist kingdom.

Even worse, someone as close to him as Joey had come to be in recent years would know something was wrong if Yuugi was refusing the opportunity to compete in such a contest if his love of games was being overridden by something else. Something was wrong with Yuugi, and he couldn't let him know. No one could possibly comprehend the changes that were stirring inside him. There was not a soul on this earth Yuugi could allow to witness this second face of his. 

Therefore, it would be best if he would allow the memory of what had transpired between himself and the ice prince of KaibaCorp. to slip from his mind and drip out from his ears. It would be best to forget the already hazy details that swirled around within his consciousness, and pretend that just like his encounters with Atem, it was only the abstract fantasies of a dream. It should be an easy enough task- it felt less like the concrete of known reality than the dreamy abstracts of the night anyhow.

It was a wonderful plan, truly, just tossing the letter and forgoing the competition. Yuugi had kept to himself for the next few days, avoiding Joey or Tristan just in case they had known that the letters of invitations had been sent out. Finally, when the letter was all but forgotten, he'd invited Joey, Tristan, as well as Téa to watch a duel monsters match that piqued enough interest to be aired on television. However, as foolproof as his plan to avoid the contest seemed to be, the future never played out to be as neat and tidy as Yuugi would plan it out to be.

What Yuugi had not accounted for in his planning was Pegasus' unparalleled persistence. It was only a card game, which made the package his grandfather retrieved from the doorstep come as that much more of a surprise to Yuugi. The sender was anonymous, no name, address, or any other sort of identification came on the exterior. The anonymity in itself was enough to form a lump in his throat, which Yuugi quickly swallowed down to give a quick utterance of a 'thank you' to his grandfather for grabbing it off of the porch on his way in.

He set it down on the coffee table before the couch so he could return to viewing the match- Weevil Underwood, the bug-type card specialist, on one side, and Rex Raptor, dinosaur card enthusiast seated on the other. Underwood took the win, much to Joey's surprise, but it was predictable enough accounting for the sloppy play in the final moments by Raptor. However, the package was what gnawed at Yuugi's attention- what on earth could be inside of it? He was unsure he wanted to know, considering neither he or his grandfather knew of its origins.

His friends were much less reluctant to feed their curiosity and insisted Yuugi open it immediately and show them the contents of his parcel. Despite having his friends encouragement behind him, their presence only made his hesitancy grow. He couldn't let his qualms overwhelm him. They would only stand as unsound fears making him look strange in the presence of his dear friends. With these things in mind, he carefully pried the tape off of the seal of the package, and exposed the strange assortment of things that were hidden inside its cardboard exterior.

Encased in velvety cushion were three things that hardly seemed related at first glance. A cuffed glove, two metallic chips in the form of stars, and a VHS tape. It was all very strange, but as Tristan pointed out, perhaps there was an explanation for all these things on the tape if Yuugi would play it. It was a sensible enough idea, so Yuugi would play along with it, turning on the movie player to slip in the tape, wondering just what on earth would be inside of an unlabelled package.

A brief moment of white noise dancing across the screen before an unfortunately familiar face came on the television. Yuugi's heart stopped as the image of Maximillion Pegasus flashed across his screen, silver hair and an unsettling amount of poise to his posture. To make matters worse, it was evident this message was recorded for Yuugi, and Yuugi alone as the recorded image of Pegasus addressed him by name, and the absurdity of the matter was spiraling out of control rapidly. He was asking him to- asking him to play a card game with him- the recorded image of Pegasus was asking to play a game with Yuugi in real time.

Things went from bad to the absolute worst outcome imaginable. Yuugi's head was reeling, and all life and color bled out from every corner of the room that was not himself or the screen of the television, and the world around him skidded to a halt that was anything but natural, and Yuugi felt just about ready to spill his lunch all over the living room carpet. The vague memory of a story from Solomon came flooding into his head. It was the tale of dark games, games that engaged the powers of sin and shadow to warp realities to suit the player's desires. 

There was something he was forgetting, something pertinent, but all Yuugi could manage in his shock and terror was to shout out the question scraping at his psyche: "Is this a dark game?"

That was the only impact on this encounter Yuugi would be allowed, as it seemed that the mere mention of 'dark games' brought his second face out of hiding, springing to the surface and accepting the challenge without so much as informing Yuugi of his intentions. There was nothing he knew to do to take back the body, to assert himself or regain control. Even if he could, he wouldn't. Paralyzed by anxiety, Yuugi was incapable of being anyone's opponent, let alone the game's creator who was undoubtedly skilled, perhaps even more than Seto that his other had only barely pocketed a win against in a stroke of luck.

The game was moving too quickly for Yuugi to process when his consciousness had been shoved aside to make room for Atem's personality. What he could comprehend was that, as optimistic as Yuugi wished to be, Atem was struggling to gain his footing, and winning this match was unlikely. It was as if Pegasus was peering over his shoulder and eyeing the cards in his hand somehow unbeknownst to both he and Atem.

This event was being handled by Atem and Yuugi's focus was unnecessary. What he needed to know, what was of highest importance to Yuugi, was what exactly his grandfather had told him those years ago of the dark games. He put his best efforts forward into clinging onto the words of morbid tales from Solomon he had worried himself over when he was small and naive. The dark games decided important issues in ancient times. Okay. The dark games had incredibly high stakes... and then an electric jolt of horror pulsed through his mind. The dark games wagered souls, and in some variations of the story the loser would be cast into eternal damnation if they had no other payment to appease the powers of the shadows.

Whose soul? His own, or Atem's? And should it be his own, would Atem be able to keep the body all to himself?

Was that why he was so quick to accept the challenge when Yuugi had mentioned the possibility of a dark game?

That kind of attitude was not going to get him out of this damned mess. Yuugi could hope, and he could wish, and he could dream, but he could not allow himself to despair when Atem was putting forth his most valiant efforts to save themselves from whatever vile punishment Pegasus had intended to inflict on the two of them. 

Perhaps the outcome was not as bleak as Yuugi had initially foreseen. It seemed Atem had gained his footing and put a dent into Pegasus' life points. Perhaps it was only a rocky start, and fortune, as well as new cards, had only bought Pegasus' favor for his first few turns. That optimism was quickly squashed when Pegasus took another bite out of his life points. Life points. That terminology was quickly becoming rather distressing the closer to zero Atem's own share inched towards.

Seconds on the clock were quickly racing down to zero, and Atem was at a significant disadvantage to Pegasus. Yuugi was only sixteen- was this really when he would discover what was awaiting him on the other side? It seemed Atem was not accepting that fate for him, and with a quick hand, drew a card from the pile that would determine his destiny. A powerful monster card was between his fingers that he smacked down against the board. They were saved, the two of them, the fates of their souls rewritten.

At least, that's what would've happened, should the timer not have run out before summoned skull could've wiped out enough of Pegasus' life points to allow Yuugi the spoils of victory. 'Spoils of victory' being to live to see the sun rise and set again.

However, Yuugi was still very much still in existence to hear Pegasus inviting Atem to his tournament, betting that they would soon be facing each other in the final rounds of his prestigious tournament. It seemed that a soul was not the price that he sought from him, and it was instead his participation in his competition, for some reason Yuugi could not attempt to fathom. Atem couldn't leave it at that- apparently, he'd taken to heart Yuugi's wish not to attend the tournament. As endearing as it was, defying Pegasus' wish didn't bode well for Yuugi.

"What if I refuse your invitation?" Atem inquired, respecting Yuugi's plans, unlike anyone else on this god forsaken day. 

To this, Pegasus gave a wag of his finger. "You don't get to refuse, Yuugi-boy," he said. The endearment made Yuugi's stomach twist.

With a snap of his fingers, Pegasus stole the soul that resided inside Solomon's body. Those same fingers pulled the curtain of silver hair out of his face to reveal an eye of gold- artificial and unnaturally protruding from his eye socket. 

"The source of my ability is the Millennium Eye's power of darkness. I will see you again soon at the Duelist Kingdom," he said, a smirk curling his lips, "if you want to retrieve what's most precious to you."

The screen returned to white noise, and Yuugi's autonomy was returned to him, and life was returned to the room, but his grandfather's soul was plucked from his body. Yuugi could only sob, his hands gripping the edges of the television, begging, pleading, crying for the return of his grandfather's soul all to no avail.

\---

Yuugi did not hear a word from Atem until he'd fallen into the respites of slumber. Seeing his form standing boldly against the scenery brought him to his knees once more, the tragedy of the day that he'd forced down to make it this far being yanked back into the front of his mind. He cried, and sobs began racking his thin frame- what else was there to do in this moment? The only reliable family member Yuugi could count on being in his life, plucked out in one swift stroke. 

How pathetic he must've looked in this moment. He couldn't pull himself together enough to do anything to prevent the taking of what was dear to him, and even hours after the loss he still crumbled, flaking apart into bits of his former self, scrambled along the Egyptian sands of Atem's creation. At least Atem managed to square his shoulders and face Pegasus head on rather than stutter and shatter in the pressure and nearly overcame the Pegasus in a match of his own game despite the stress and high stakes. Maybe Atem was the one who deserved this body...

Atem knelt at his side, placing a hand on each shoulder, to which Yuugi cried a bit more vocally, and made the attempt to use his words. "I can't do it, Atem," he managed to choke out, tears streaming down his cheeks, "I can't!" 

Atem's voice was hushed and gentle, his hands still curled around Yuugi's slender shoulders. "You won't have to," he whispered, his words a solemn vow, "we'll do it together."


	8. Far Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This poor kid just wants to sleep and not deal with shadow games or ancient conflicts.
> 
> Short chapter is short. Hopefully, I can come in to polish it up soon.

The unfortunate events that had befallen Yuugi in the last few days, few hours, in rapid succession weren't becoming too much for him. No, 'too much' was doing a great disservice to describing this disastrous twist to the end of his summer. He had far surpassed 'too much' when he'd learned of the capabilities possessed by the specter inhabiting his puzzle, allowing him control over his body. Things had plunged past a proportionate amount of catastrophe when Yuugi had been wrought into what could only identify as a shadow game, just as sinister as his grandfather had foretold long ago, and stole away Solomon's soul. Things had just recently landed a stone's throw past absolutely horrific when the treasured cards that formed Exodia, his saving grace in the duel against Kaiba, were discarded by one of his competitors into the unforgiving sea. 

He watched as the tides crashed against the hull of the ship, pulling his precious cards into the undertow. They bobbed, scattering further and further from each other, their thin sheath of lamination doing little to protect them from the sharp tug of the cold current. He nearly watched the very same waves bury his first friend in their hold, each crash pulling him down to Yuugi's shock and horror. The absence of his partner's assistance hung on him thickly as he was forced into taking action he would later regret as he dove in after Joey to fish him out from under the rough water's surface. He'd lost enough already in one night; He refused to allow Joey to fall victim to that without putting up with some sort of resistance.

It was luck in its purest, most unadulterated form that Yuugi hadn't perished alongside Joey that night. Miraculous, even, that his friends had managed to stow away on the ship and fish both he and his dear friend out from the merciless surge and back on deck. Yuugi was grateful that his life hadn't ended in that way and grateful ever more that this awful stretch in time hadn't been his final memory on this earth. He would even dare to speculate that Atem felt that same gratitude and relief- if he had feelings of his own.

Miraculous as it was, Yuugi was entirely certain he deserved something else. Not necessarily something more, but something different than this. Something along the lines of not having to fight for his possessions, his friends, or his life at every given opportunity. He wanted to turn back the hands of time and crush that damned tape in half and toss away the star chips in favor of his grandfather's soul. Better even still, he'd like to have told Seto Kaiba to stick it when he had come to his grandfather's shop that fateful afternoon and let him know that his cards were none of his business and that he could take his blue-eyes white dragon fetish somewhere less consequential than his home or game shop. 

However, despite any efforts he could have taken, he doubted they could have prevented any of this. Yuugi could have told Kaiba to get a life and stop hassling old men for kicks, and still, like the stubborn, arrogant classmate of his with too much money and power for any seventeen-year-old to be in charge of, would have still came knocking once he had left, and challenged him to a duel that would catch Pegasus' eye. And Pegasus, powerful and persistent, definitely would not be deterred by having to send another tape or even come to get him using different means entirely.

The truth of the matter was that he had no control in the situation. Not an ounce, not one single shred. His life was spinning out of control, and it was high time that he resigned to watching rather than wasting his energy in trying to fight the inevitable. His kindness, his optimism, and his forgiveness meant nothing to his competitors here- now was the time to tuck his morals away for another day and take a different approach in facing his competition. Weevil had already taught him that much in their brief but unfortunately significant encounter. 

No, these sorts of issues required the kind of tact and grace that he found himself unable to offer and were best left to his other personality. Yuugi was very much convinced that Atem was better suited to taking on these harsh realities with his cunning and quick wit, his strength and great resolve along with a myriad of other great qualities that he found himself lacking. Hopefully, Atem and all his ability could carry him through this far enough to retrieve his grandfather's immortal soul and allow him a safe trip home, in which Yuugi would dissolve into the sheets that lined his mattress and sleep off this entire unpleasant excursion. 

Curled into a blanket, Yuugi did his best to shake off the cold as he pressed his back into the wall, but it was a fruitless effort. Warmth nor sleep nor comfort could find him here tonight, and with the sun to rise in a few hours, it seemed that he wouldn't be able to see Atem in the refuge of his dreams, either. In his time of trouble and desperation, Yuugi clung onto that slim ray of hope that Atem might be able to save him. It was only fair, wasn't it? That the one who watched him tumble into this mess would be the one to fish him out of it? He prayed that he would be able to find that sort of justice, anyhow, unlikely as it may have seemed given the most recent additions to his track record.

In the darkness, Yuugi could make out the subtle change in scenery as the bleary horizon line morphed from water into land. It seemed that very soon, despite the exhaustion that was seeping into his bones, Yuugi would face the next round of trials. Desperately, he wished that they would at least be gentler than the last bout as he drifted further and further away from the safety and familiarity he had taken for granted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, Yuugi. At least the sun will rise in a few hours.


End file.
